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Wednesday 19 April 2017

My Week That Was

Do you ever have one of those weeks when you feel like you have worked hard in your sewing room but feel like you have very little to show for it?  Well I have had a week just like it.  So what did I do?

Before I tell you that I want to show you what I have received in the post.  Firstly


my lovely snail block mini from the lovely Sue @Sevenoaks Street Quilts.  Isn't it absolutely wonderful?  I had admired Sue's snail blocks a few weeks ago, I get LOTS of snails in my garden.  Indi my beautiful Springer Spaniel loves them, in fact it has become something of an issue as she likes to crunch on them, shells and all.   My mini came with some lovely fabric too, only I forgot to include it in the pic.  This was the Pay it Forward gift I told you about last week.  Thank you so much Sue I so love it, it will be going on the wall of my sewing room where I will see it every time I sit down to sew.

Then I got


Chicken Poop!  You know I want to giggle every time I say that.  It came with a cute notebook and pen from the lovely, and very descriptive Janice @Colour Creating and Quilting.  If you missed our swap posts you can see my mini and read all about it here.

My important sewing to be done this week was my bee blocks and as you know I am in two bees this year, and wouldn't you know it both of them asked for bird blocks this month.

First Stash Bee, where     requested a paper pieced block, groan, not the dreaded paper piecing, but yes, sigh.  I couldn't put off any more and that is how I spent Friday, stitching


these blocks.  I made the yellow one first and believe me my unpicker got plenty of work.  I took one piece out three times would you believe?  Partly because I used the wrong fabric, partly because I added the wrong piece, oh the list goes on.  It took me over three hours, I kid you not, for a block that finished 5" x 6" inches.  I only had to do one but because it was so small I decided to do three, but in the end I was glad to stop at two.  Keep your fingers crossed no one else in either of my hives asks for paper pieced blocks again this year.

Then in Bee Inspired Velda who was Queen for April requested a bird block she had draughted out herself.


This is a 12 inch finished block consisting of four six inch bird blocks, you can find the pattern on Velda's blog @GRANNYcanQUILT.  Velda requested they contain either a black with white or white with black or a dark fabric with a bright.  I found some strips left over from a jelly roll for three of the bodies and a lovely grey batik for the wing of the third to mix it up.  I made them scrappy as requested, hope she likes them.  These were much quicker to do being pieced, I made all the bodies first then the beak units and added a strip to the top.  The leg units were easy then it was just arranging them together.

Both lots will be winging their way across the sea this week and that is another thing off my list.

At this point it would be fair to say that although there are many bird blocks freely available on the internet if you want variations in your birds Lynne Tyler on her blog The Patchery Menagery has a pattern with over 40 pages of variations and detailed instructions.

The good news is I FINISHED THE NOT A MYSTERY ANY MORE QUILT!!!  Actually about half an hour ago and I haven't a pic yet, so you will get that next week.  Remember all the trouble I had with the binding last week?  Well I ended up just making a pocket for the second end to go into, not quite as neat as a miter but it was easier with the join in the wrong place and less noticeable than it would have been.  I finished it by hand stitching to the back AND I added a label, which to be honest I don't always do, but Karen from KaHolly insisted I should do for historical purposes.  Karen is right of course, and should I tell you a secret?  Remember Bluebell Woods?  I loved making her so much I felt I just HAD to label her, so I  left a corner and didn't quite finish  hand stitching the binding, ten months later she is still waiting, don't tell Karen!

I have been doing 'something else', I'm not going to tell you this week, but I'm hoping I will have a pic for next week and you won't believe it!

So until then
with smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up with:




21 comments:

  1. So many secrets! haha Keep 'em coming back for more right?
    I love your colorful birds! I am going to get mine done this weekend. I didn't realize you disliked paper-piecing so much. I thought I would hate it and didn't give it a chance for ages, but once I finally did, I found that I like it. Not always, and I probably won't ever do a full quilt, but I like doing minis that way.

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  2. Jen is right, you sure love secrets Kate! Just keeps me coming back! Love your bird blocks, gotta get on mine. Chicken Poop keeps me laughing every time I see it, and that Snail mini is adorable. Don't let Indi get near it! Thanks for linking up.

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  3. Yay! What do you mean you feel like you didn't get anything done? I would say you got A lot done! Your bee blocks and your binding on the mystery quilt! Yay for finishes! I sympathize with you on the paper piecing. I know exactly what you went through. Ugh.

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  4. Great bird blocks, Kate! So cute and chipper. I am also not a fan of paper piecing, so I'm glad I don't have to do it. Being in a bee makes it hard to say "no," though. I'm sure both bee quilts will be darling when they are done. Perhaps you'll link to the finished quilts, if those bee mates have blogs?

    Chicken Poop makes me giggle, too. I thought about it as I was piecing the chicken fabric on the back of my last little quilt!

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  5. I have those weeks sometimes too, but if you really take a look back and see all the stuff we worked on, we did more than we thought. I think we feel that way because we didn't actually finish anything. But it looks to me like you got several things done:)

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  6. Not just a week like that here and there, but that's my every day! I sew and sew and sew and because I'm so pokey, hardly ever feel as though I've accomplished very much, especially when I cruise the net and see what everyone else is getting done! Your bird block came out terrific, Kate! Good job hanging in there and getting them done! XO

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  7. I love those birds! It reminds me that I have a book with some bird patterns, and I need to pull it out and have some fun. Can't wait to see the reveal of your Not a Mystery quilt! Wendy at piecefulthoughts.com

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  8. Beautiful birds Kate, and just so you know I have plenty of times when I feel like I'm sewing a lot but accomplishing little.

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  9. Your birds are great . Paper piecing is like the little girl with the curl , even it's good it's very good and when it's bad it's horrid . I'm careless about labelling quilts , I should do . @jomojoret has embroidered some beautiful quilt labels

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  10. Bold birds, sweet snail - smiles everywhere. You know something - those birds can be made without PP. On a completely different note, I called Paul a numpty the other day :-D He deserved it and then I had to explain it to him :-)

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  11. Love the birds and snail...I need to get busy on my stash blocks!

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  12. Thanks for the kind words about my snail, Kate! I'm loving your bird blocks, they're very cute! How lucky to be getting all that mail! I know the sew a lot,nothing done feeling *sigh*

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  13. I sometimes just write directly onto the back of the quilt! Not a big labeller either but I am trying. Glad you got there in the end with the paper pieced blocks - looks really cute!

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  14. Those birds may have been a real pain---but they are ADORABLE :)

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  15. Oh that snail is so cute! I love the birds too - and how funny to have bird blocks in both bees this month!

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  16. So many adorable things going on in your sewing room. And you say you accomplished nothing? Those bird blocks are sweet and especially popular these days, so maybe we should all get used to them. The snail mini is funny and your dog story even more so.

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  17. Those bird blocks are awesome! Such a great combo of prints.

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  18. Great week and stunning blocks!

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  19. Cute little birds a and what a sweet snail block.

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  20. Sometimes it feels like you haven't accomplished a thing, but you just have to look at your blocks to see you have! Plus, I'm sure there have been any other little things you've done here and there too. They all add up!

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  21. Love the bird blocks! How sweet you received two minis! I saw poop in progress and loved it then!

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With smiles from,
Kate